Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town (22 page)

She heard fast approaching footsteps on the lawn behind her. She dared a glance over her shoulder and saw Cal run past the dog. He bore down on her. She pushed herself harder. Her ponytail sagged, and the ribbon that had held it in place had slipped. He grabbed her around her waist, and they both went down. The landing knocked the air out of her. His hat sailed off his head.

Cal rolled her over onto her stomach, pulled her arms behind her, and slapped the cuffs on her wrists. Gabriel hurried over to her and licked her face.

Cal rolled her back over and sat on his heels. “Are you okay?” he asked and looked down at her.

The dog sat down beside her and “woofed”. His tongue hung from the side of his mouth and his tail wagged.

She took in a deep breath and then another one. She eyed the dog. “Some guard dog you are.” She looked up at Cal. “You’re gonna regret this.” She tried to catch her breath.

He grinned at her, stood up, reached down, and helped her to her feet. She leaned over and spit grass out of her mouth. She tossed her head to the side as she tried to get her long hair out of her face.

His brows drew together. “Did I hurt you?” he asked as he eyed her swollen lip.

She looked at him and then shook her head.

“What happened?”

“Just history repeating itself. I swear, I should have never come back here.”

A concerned expression covered his face. He led her over to where his hat had landed, reached down, and picked it up.

“Please get that ribbon for me,” she said.

He looked at her. “What?”

She nodded toward the ground not far from where she had fallen. “Right there. The ribbon.”

He looked at the pink ribbon coiled on the grass and then at her. “Why do you want that ribbon?”

“It was in my hair a minute ago … and … it’s my favorite.”

He reached down and picked up the ribbon. He slipped it into the front pocket of his slacks.

After he got her back to the house, he looked at Justin and asked, “What happened to you? Couldn’t keep up?”

Justin grinned. “No, sir. Looked like you had it all under control.”

“Bring the squad car around.”

Twenty minutes later, Cal led her into the lobby of the sheriff’s department. Justin followed with the dog on a leash.

“Please tell me you’re not taking the dog to the pound. They’ll put him down,” Raven said as Cal led her down the hallway.

“No, he’s going to jail with you.”

She balked and looked up at him. “Do what?”

“He’s going to jail with you.”

“That’s what I thought you said. What’d he do wrong?”

“Nothing. When you get out, you can figure out what to do with him. That is, if you ever get out.”

“What if he needs to go do his business?”

“Just yell and someone will take him for a walk.” He nudged her through the door that led to the jail cells.

“If I’d have known Angus was going to throw such a hissy fit over the dog, I wouldn’t have driven over there, and I’d of been long gone by now, and you’d be seeing nothing but red taillights.”

“You should have known he wouldn’t want a dog. Suzanne has little to no say in that house.”

“Was he that way when you were growing up? Did he treat your momma that way?”

He unlocked the cell, slid the door open, and released her. She stepped inside.

“Call the dog,” he said.

She turned. “Come on, Gabe.”

The dog walked inside, sat down beside her, and faced Cal. Raven waited for him to shut the door. She turned her back toward him, backed up to the cell door, and lifted her hands. He unlocked the cuffs.

She turned, tilted her head, and looked at him with anger in her eyes.

He smiled. “Hold that pose. Justin will be along shortly to get your mug shot and your fingerprints.” He turned to walk away.

“Cal, the ribbon. I want my ribbon.”

He stepped back, pulled it out of his pocket, and slipped it through the bars. She latched onto it. He walked away. A few seconds later she heard the door close.

She wrapped the ribbon around her wrist and tied it.

A female voice came from a cell further down the corridor. “What are you in here for?”

She leaned her head against the bars and tried to peer around, but couldn’t see anyone. “Resisting arrest … twice.”

She chuckled. “Looks like you need more practice.”

Raven made a face. “How about you? What are you in for?”

“Prostitution.”

Raven lifted an eyebrow. She’d never met a prostitute. She thought a moment.
Well, just Momma.

The woman continued, “You think if I told the sheriff that my biggest customer was his daddy, he’d let me go?” The woman chuckled again.

Raven stared straight ahead. “You know Angus Rayburn?”

“Know him? I know every inch of him. I could draw you a map of every mole on his body.”

Raven made a face.

“He’s been passed out drunk at my place more times than I can count, but not before he’d told me every dirty deed he’s ever done. If I were into blackmail, I’d be rich … or dead.”

Raven raised her eyebrows and mouthed, “Oh.”

“By-the-way, my name is Imogene. What’s yours?”

59

“What the hell were you thinking?” Angus stood with his hands on his hips in the doorway of the kitchen and across the room from Suzanne.

She sat down in a chair in the breakfast nook. “I wanted a dog.” She propped her elbows on the table and rested her forehead in her hands. “Why did he arrest her?”

“Who gives a damn why he arrested her? She should have put that dog down and left town right after the funeral.”

“Put the dog down?” She jerked her head toward him. “What kind of person would do something so inhumane?”

He ignored her question. “You don’t need a dog. If you’ve got time to take care of a dog, then you’ve got too much time on your hands.”

Her brows creased.

“Besides, how did you and her come to this agreement? I didn’t even know you two knew each other.”

“We met at the park.”

“That’s another thing. Your parents would roll over in their grave if they could see you out there slaving away, acting like a commoner. You’ve got no business letting yourself be seen like that.”

She pushed herself up from the table. “My father might have inherited all of this, but he was still a hard working man, and my mother didn’t sit around elegant tables, holding tea parties with the privileged. She stayed busy, serving her community. Being wealthy is a blessing, being generous with your wealth is showing your appreciation for that blessing.”

He shook his head. “You’re the most stupid person who’s ever lived.” He was pleased to see the pained look on her face. He should have let her know that a long time ago. He watched her cross the room. She slipped by him, headed into the den, and toward the foyer.

He went down the hallway and entered the study, headed straight to the wet bar, and poured a shot of bourbon. He downed it and poured another. He turned, his eyes landed on the picture that covered the wall safe. Time was running out. Someone had messed with his plan. He had to get what was taken from him back, so he could go on with his plan before Suzanne found out. He’d had enough of living in the same house with that woman.

He pictured himself stretched out on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean with a beautiful, young, native woman taking care of his needs. The sand, the surf, the palm trees, and her oiled hands massaging his body were a part of his dream. At that moment, he both missed and hated Lupe, and it fueled him into action.

He gulped his drink, set the shot glass down, and headed out the door.

60

Suzanne burst through the door of the sheriff’s department. She looked around the room until she spotted the only other person in the lobby area. She marched over to the dispatcher who stood near his desk.

“Sir, I need to speak with the sheriff.”

The dispatcher looked at her a moment and then said, “He’s with a prisoner.”

“I’m right here,” Cal said as he came into the lobby from the hallway. He looked at her. “Mrs. Rayburn, how—”

“Don’t you Mrs. Rayburn me. I’m your step-mother, young man.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “Now, you go back there and release that young woman right now.”

“I can’t do that, Suzanne.”

“And why not? She’s done nothing wrong. You’re treating her like a common criminal. Why she’s—”

“I know, I know, a famous author.”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say that she’s a fine, young … a famous author?”

“Suzanne, run along home, and let me do my job.”

“Your job? This is not why I helped your mother campaign you into office—just so you can arrest innocent women. Why, I bet your mother doesn’t even know what you’re doing.”

“Trust me, I’m doing my job.”

Her shoulders slumped. “So you’re not going to release her?”

“Not right now. Some things have to get taken care of first, and then we’ll see.”

“What things? Does she need bail money?”

“I … I …” He sighed. “Look, would you like to check on her and see that she’s okay?”

“I can do that?”

He nodded. He motioned for her to follow him. She walked behind him out of the lobby and into the hallway.

Justin came out of the bathroom and stopped in front of Cal. “Have you seen Lansing?”

Cal shook his head. “I thought he logged out when you came on.”

“No, when I logged on, he hadn’t logged out yet. I thought he was out on patrol, but his squad car is still out front.”

Cal looked at Suzanne. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” He took a step around her and stopped when he heard a noise. He turned back. “Did you hear that?” he asked Justin.

Justin lowered his gaze and listened. They heard what sounded like a chair scoot across a tiled floor.

Cal reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys. He stepped to the door across from his office and unlocked it. Justin looked over his shoulder, and Suzanne peered around him when he swung the door open.

Suzanne’s eyes grew wide. She squeezed her eyes shut, stepped back, and leaned against the wall. Cal and Justin gaped at Deputy Lansing who was leaned back in a chair, naked, and handcuffed to a table leg. He had duct tape over his mouth and around his ankles. Cal rushed in, knelt down, and tore the tape off his mouth.

The deputy grimaced from the sting and then said, “Sir, I made a mistake. You’re gonna fire me over this. I’m sorry!”

Cal stood up. “Justin, get the tape off his legs and remove the cuffs.”

Cal looked around the room, and his gaze landed on the safe in the corner. The door was wide open and the duffle bag was gone.

“Sir, she took my weapon and my clothes,” Lansing said.

“Who?” He looked at the deputy who had taken a sheet of paper off the desk and held it over his privates.

“Mrs. Wallace. She … she seduced me.”

“How’d she get the key?”

“Sir, I swear, I did
not
give her the key. All I know is, she took a set from her purse and unlocked the safe.”

Cal looked off in thought and then headed out of the room. “Get him some clothes. He’s on suspension for now.” He walked by Suzanne and stopped. He looked back at her. She was still pressed against the hall wall with her eyes closed. “Suzanne? Are you all right?”

“I don’t know.”

He put his hand under her elbow. “Come on. Let’s get you back into the lobby. You can sit in there until the deputy gets dressed, and then I’ll get one of the other deputies to escort you back to the cell so you can visit with Miss Sawyer.”

“Thank you, Cal.”

As he walked her back into the lobby he asked her again, “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes, I just wasn’t prepared to see that.”

“That makes two of us.”

61

The door opened at the end of the corridor and then closed. Raven heard two sets of footsteps making their way down the corridor.

“Here she is, Mrs. Rayburn,” Deputy Porter said.

Keys rattled.

Raven rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. The dog sat up beside her and looked at the cell door. The look on Raven’s face let Suzanne know how surprised she was to see her. Suzanne smiled at her, but waited for the deputy to close the cell door and walk away.

The dog hopped down and took a few steps over to Suzanne. Suzanne reached down and patted his head.

Raven stood up. Her facial expression hadn’t changed. Suzanne walked over, stood in front of her, and held out her arms.

Raven looked at them and then at Suzanne. Her chin quivered, and she stepped into her open arms. Suzanne held her and patted her back.

Raven cried for a good five minutes. Suzanne was patient.

When Raven slipped out of her arms, she said, “I’m so embarrassed.”

“You have no reason to be embarrassed, my dear. Who wouldn’t cry from being locked up in this horrible place? It’s your right to cry.” She smiled at Raven. “A girl should never apologize for having feelings.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Well, I meant it. Now, are you going to invite me to sit down?”

Raven laughed. “Please, have a seat.” She indicated toward the bed with her hand.

Suzanne sat down and patted the mattress with her hand. Raven sat down beside her. Gabriel hopped up on the other side, flopped down, and rested his head on his front paws.

“We didn’t have the time to get to know each other better the other day. I’d like to take the opportunity to do that now. I may not have the chance later, as I’ve been told that you’re leaving to go back to your home soon.”

“Yes.”

“And home is where?”

“I have an apartment in New York City.”

Suzanne nodded. “I’m told that you’re an author?”

“Yes. I’ve written several novels.”

“What kind of novels?”

“I was writing women’s contemporary fiction, but I’ve switched over to suspense and mystery.”

“Why is that?”

She shrugged. “I ran out of ideas for romance. Not that that was the sole substance of my novels.”